In an exciting coincidence, I found a white 1963 Grand Prix posted (by runningonfumes) to the cohort a few days ago right after coming across a white 1965, sadly sans camera. Were I able to snap pictures, it would’ve marked the fifth or sixth white Curbside Classic I’d found, but as the ’63 seems to enjoy a more pristine reputation, and as Eric Clem very recently found and posted pics of a red 1964, it seems the gods really wanted something to be said about Pontiac’s specialty coupe sooner than later.
Parked in front of a garage specializing in what seems like German auto repair, this Grand Prix teaches other contemporary classics a thing or two about style, presence and timelessness. While all-American, its still shows an international flair. It was a sensation in its day, despite the relative restraint in conceiving its look, and it translates into today’s context very successfully.
Even half parked in a garage, there is plenty on display to gawk at and take pictures of. The rear end makes for good viewing, with taillights that good in a very contemporary sense and highlighting the way the whole car has aged well.
External appearances suggest this engine is largely stock, but given how clean everything is, I’m sure it’s gotten some “work” done. I don’t know what transmission this car has, but automatic-equipped 1963s were saddled with the unloved Roto-Hydramatic. The air cleaner suggests standard four-barrel carburetion, as opposed to the optional Tripower, but both the 389 and 421 came equipped both ways, so I don’t know which engine block is nestled between those wheel wells. As the hood’s shut in other shots, I can only assume our photographer took some extra effort in chatting the owners up and getting a peak under the hood. Bravo!
No photographic documentation of a ’63 GP would be complete without a shot of the double-stacked headlights. Pontiac popularized this look and almost always wore it best. My favorite expression of this look is on the ’67s, but we don’t have to tell this car (and indeed, I may be in the minority in thinking so; I know Paul isn’t the biggest fan of loop bumpers and he can’t be the only one).
Luckily, it’d be a few years before the Grand Prix would be seen with those late ’60s fashion items. The ’64 Grand Prix seen here largely looks as the ’63 did (only not quite as pure; when you have to change your look each year, sometimes you end up losing your best ideas).
The most notable differences between this and the previous year’s front clip were the relocation of the arrowhead badge to the hood (it had been between the two halves of the grille) and the widening of the grille-mounted turn signals into rounded rectangular units (or squared-off ovals, if you prefer).
Gone was the horizontal chrome accent separating 1963’s grille into upper and lower halves. The bumper had previously been a very straight-edged affair, with no integration of its shape with that of the grille or headlight surrounds, so call the red 1964’s a proto-loop bumper.
Luckily, the red 1964 has what looks to be its original eight-lugged wheel/brake drum present. Perhaps the owner of the white car was forced to get rid of these gorgeous period pieces (and they truly are gorgeous) to accommodate disc brakes. There must be a good excuse.
What Pontiac was seemingly unable to find any excuse for was the restyle of the Grand Prix’s rear clip for 1964. Similar boomerang-shaped taillights made ’71 and ’72 Oldsmobile 88 the most attractive of its generation of B-bodies to my eyes, but on this very straight-edged car, the shape adds a hippiness at odds with the rest of its lines. The next year’s all-new curvy (and panned as too-zaftig) Grand Prix wisely reverted to the previous year’s theme and when I came across the white 1965, its taillights were the most eye catching aspect of its design. Simple, well-defined forms always look good, even when manifest as chrome-plated jewelry.
That’s some interior, huh? In terms of opulence, American cars reached their peak in the early-mid ’60s. As the fluid exterior shapes of the late sixties and early seventies gained popularity, there was less brightwork on display inside, all too often replaced by more amorphous moldings.
The Hydramatic was newly available in 1964, so let’s hope that’s what’s connected to that selector lever. Bucket seats in a big car were still a somewhat exotic touch at this time, but my favorite flourish is the canting of the auxiliary gauges toward the driver. These cars weren’t noteworthy for their handling, but a real effort was made to present them as drivers’ cars and the interior is an especially successful expression of this ethos.
Styling matters; at least, that’s what I took away from viewing these two Grand Prix. This shape was successful in setting Pontiac’s tone during their golden era and judging by the copies of this design across Detroit (and even Kenosha), it earned respect beyond hearts and minds of Pontiac’s growing audience at the time.
Related reading:
63 Catalina: Sexiest Big Sedan Of Its Time, 64 Grand Prix: Almost A Greatest Hit, CCOTY Nomination: 63 Grand Prix
Perry, There are actually several full length photos of the same Grand Prix a little further down in the Cohort page. The car is stunning. Check out the photos.
The aluminum drum/hub and 8 lug wheel combo was an option and not standard on the GP and overall it wasn’t that popular of an option so it is most likely that the car with modern wheels came with the standard wheels and drums from the factory.
You do not have to loose the 8 lug wheels to convert to discs. You just have to sacrifice a pair of rear drums to be converted into adapaters. The braking area is machined off and then it is held onto the rotor with the 5 lug nuts just as it was when mounted in the rear.
http://pontiac8lugs.com/Photos.php Scroll to the bottom for pics of the conversion.
Actually, the big boomerang taillights on the Grand Prix are actually the back up lights, the tail lights are under the chrome grille panel. The “boomerangs” were taillights on the regular full size Pontiacs
GM at its best. Nice job Perry
Number one reason why it can suck to be middle class: I want that white Grand Prix in my garage.
That deep red ’64 lives not too far from me, and has caught my attention whenever we drive past. If you look closely in the picture of its right front, the brick house in the back left of the picture has a yard full of merry-go-round horses on poles, too!
I’ve seen that car parked on the side of the road for awhile. It’s refreshing to see someone who apparently uses it – note the lack of a collector plate.
Yes, I noticed the very late-issue standard plate.
I like them all, but my favorite years in order are 65 66 63 64. And the 8 lug option looks great on them all. What beautiful interiors. GM sure had some fantastic looking cars in that era.
I’m getting to be a full size fan,that split grille,stacked headlights,8 lug wheels who needs a Cadillac?Better looking and save some bucks with a Pontiac!
And now for your viewing pleasure the Japanese Pontiac
Some Pontiac, yes, but I also see 1965-66 AMC Ambassador.
And from the back.
Go on tell us more please!A great looking car but a sensible size
Nissan Gloria very rare low mileage survivor I bought one it had been fitted with a PA Vauxhall motor and box after the Nissan motor grenaded I wanted the gearbox for my souped PB any who heres its story
I love the straight out of the 60s color!
+1 Thanks Bryce another car I’ve never seen before.I like it a lot
GM reminds me of one of those sports franchises with a glorious past, with many championships, and a present that makes you wonder if it’s the same team.
Will GM ever make something this classic again?
No. Will anyone?
Being that sub-variations of body styles (ie a different roofline on a coupe) generally don’t exist these days, I would nominate the Audi A5 as being a modern equivalent, one of the few coupes that doesn’t have a fully-fastback roofline but sits in a roughly equivalent market position.
And Pontiac’s equivalent is…?
Oops, that’s right. There IS no Pontiac.
Sweet looking Pontiacs. The 1963 and 64 Pontiacs with the vertically placed headlamps have always been my favourites. I’ve always found them more attractive than the 1965 through 66 Pontiacs.
My 3rd grade teacher had a ’63 red 2 door Pontiac hardtop … I remember it as a Grand Prix so that means it was 🙂 I actually rode in that car a few times (field trips)? She – and the car – seemed very cool. I’ve tried to wipe my 4th grade teacher out of my memory, and have no recollection of her car. My 5th grade teacher was a great person, but her ’55 4 door Chevy (brown, no less) was just not the same as a red Grand Prix.
It’s interesting Pontiac used the same idea on the headlights between the 63/64 and 65/66. I personally prefer the ‘exposed’ bezel look, its one of the reasons the 65 is such a great looking car.
Curious, isn’t it? It’s as if there were two design teams. The A team did the all-new ’63 and ’65, and the B team was given the second years to muck a round with a bit. A rather sad reflection of the need to have an annual re-style.
At least the big facelift for ’63 was a big improvement at Pontiac. I’ve always wondered what the appeal of the ’63/64 fullsize Chevy was – to me it looks like the box a ’61-3 came in.
It is funny that they went exposed bezel…non exposed…back to exposed and then non exposed again between 63-64-65-66.
The triple gauges slanted toward the driver were sacrificed on air conditioned cars; the upper central a/c duct took its place.
Yep, on A/C cars the nice triple guages were replaced by the duct and a plain looking clock. Did the eliminated guages go elsewhere or were they replaced by idiot lights?
Boy what a run Pontiac had in the sixties. The two featured GP’s, the perhaps even better ’69 and of course the GTO. Even the full sizers looked great as did the Tempest/LeMans. Winners everywhere. Bunkie and John Z. were at the top of their game.
The temp and fuel gauge were in the main speedometer cluster in a/c cars. the extra gauges were fuel water temp and a clock, which just became a clock and an a/c vent on air conditioned cars.
The remedied this on 65’s by moving the center a/c vent in the top of the dash and the fuel-temp-clock round gauges remained air or no air. There was an extra cost cluster available on the 1965 and up cars that had oil pressure and battery in the speedometer. I imagine that if you got a 65 Pontiac with the optional gauge cluster, the tachometer, vacuum gauge and the center gauges it must have been like a flight deck on a 707. Gauges! gauges and more gauges!!
Thanks Perry; what a nice surprise to come home to. The ’63 GP is one of my all time favorites, one of the 1963 GM holy trinity.
My older sister scored a (single) date with a guy who drove a navy blue ’63 GP. Wow! She was so impressed; it was the ultimate hot date-mobile. Although she was pretty hot about the guy who drove a TR-4A IRS too.
Hey, I recognize that red GP! That’s in the Maple Leaf area of Seattle. My friend lives near there. That car has been parked on that street for years. I guess it’s a daily driver.
Been lurking here for quite some time. The ’64 GP is one of the first cars I learned to recognize as a child. I had a red Matchbox one with opening doors and the ubiquitous tow hook on all those toy cars back then. I’ve compared every Pontiac made since then to the ’63-’64 cars. The last GP/Bonnevilles were just sad.
The 62-68 GP’s were like ‘customized’ Catalinas. Sort of like the old AMT 1/25 scale car model kits with “build 1 of 3 ways: Stock, Custom or Drag”. With different tailights, grilles, and trim, GP looks sportier. However, said this before, that these GP differ from Riviera, in that the Ponchos GP’s don’t have unique body shells.
Anyway, in grade school was intrigued with how Pontiac would style the GP v.s Catalina. But, when the ’69 A-Special body GP came out, I was a confused 9 y/o, thinking ‘that’s not a Catalina’.
It was a rocket ship. 390 hp will do that to it.